Who doesn’t love books? Books, the doors to imagination, the windows to creativity, the passports to many different worlds, the links between past and future, the bridges between generations and the keys to one’s vocabulary and knowledge. If books can play so many roles, then surely books can be acknowledged by all of us at least on one day. Most of us adore books and our friends at UNESCO agree. So, World Book and Copyright Day also known as World Book Day is celebrated on April 23rd since 1995 all over the world. The main reason for this celebration is to recognise and promote the benefit of reading books, publishing and copyright.
Books are an amazing form of entertainment that is very beneficial. There is also a beautiful feeling of peace and calm among the scent of those printed pages and glossy covers that only the most mundane ones can resist. Books now constitute an important part of the society but this wasn’t the case always.
Clay tablets were in use when vocabulary and writing developed thousands of years ago. These gave way to parchment and papyrus which in turn became thick bamboo pages, stitched together in the Chinese times in the 3rd century. Slowly, by the mid-15th century, printing presses transformed books that we use today and that were accessible for everyone. Thanks to this primordial invention we are able to enjoy the works of famous poets and authors and are able to make and record history.
Book Day was not originally made to celebrate books!! The idea to celebrate World Book Day was first thought by Valencian writer Vincente Clavel Andres to pay tribute to the prominent author Miguel De Cervantes. When he discussed this idea with his peers, they came up with a concept of celebrating books on a day that would be important for a lot of authors and writers.
Originally Clavel had thought that either October 7th which was Miguel De Cervantes’s birthday or April 23rd which was the day he died would become Book Day. In the end in 1995, UNESCO decided to fix April 23rd as the World Book Day because it happened to be William Shakespeare’s birth and death anniversary and either one of these anniversaries of many other authors and poets.
Interesting Fact: Unlike other days started by the UNESCO, World Book Day doesn’t have any themes. The theme is its purpose which is to read.
Book Day was not always celebrated on April 23rd!! In the years 2000 and 2011 World Book Day was celebrated on April 13th to avoid clashes with Easter and other significant days. In UK and Ireland World Book Day is a charity event held in March, conducted annually on the first Thursday which always coincides with special release editions etc.
World Book Day has inspired many other initiatives. Since 2000, this day has inspired an initiative of professional organisations which has the support of UNESCO and the Backing of the United States of America; World Book Capital City. Each year a city is chosen to take the undertaking to maintain the cause of this day, through its own sources and initiatives, till the April 23rd of next year. So far, almost all the regions in the world have been a part of this process in turn which has revolutionised the celebration of books and reading.
This day is celebrated in different ways all around the world but the essence of the celebration is the same everywhere; read, read and read. Fancy dress competitions, story writing contests, reading workshops and many such activities take up most of the day while the words of famous authors and poets are shared around. Libraries and book shops are the hangouts. The atmosphere feels bookish and nerdy. At the end of the day everyone realises the importance of books in one’s life and while the readers just take their time to reminiscence their reading lists the non- readers realise how much they have missed on.
The UNESCO shares poems and quotes from April 1st to April 23rd every year to signify the power of books and encourage reading. This also creates a sense of community with shared readings and knowledge that helps curb loneliness.
Books are the gateways of a knowledgeable and disciplined society so we should always preserve them and love them. Reading has many benefits so we should never forget to read. Most importantly books and reading should not be looked upon only on Book Day but every day for reading and looking at books only on one day will never get you anywhere…
